Kevin Magnussen impresses with new speed and confident braking: a decisive advantage for the Haas team in the battle for 6th place?
Kevin Magnussen’s pace has changed in the last few Formula 1 races. In Mexico, he achieved his best qualifying and race result this season. However, this performance was not the result of a freak of nature, but the result of impressive pace that even made him faster than Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the final stages of the race.
This is a far cry from the start of the season, when Magnussen struggled to gain confidence in the 2024 Haas car – and was more notable for his tactical maneuvers in duels than for his outstanding results on the track.
The breakthrough he seems to have made since Austin, and which could prove crucial in the battle for the constructors’ championship with Racing Bulls, came at the same time as the team introduced a major new upgrade – but it’s not those aero parts that have made the difference.
The key to Magnussen finally being able to set the pace is his greater confidence when entering corners – and especially when it comes to his feel for the brakes: “This year I’ve been very inconsistent on the brakes, and I feel that hopefully we’ve got that under control,” says Magnussen when asked where his step forward came from.
Magnussen explains his braking problems
“In the last two races, I felt like we made a change that I really felt. It was very positive. Hopefully it’s not temperature-related, and hopefully it really is, but it definitely has to do with this change.”
When looking more closely at where things are better, Magnussen explains that it all comes down to the initial braking phase: “When I step on the brakes this season, they decelerate a little and then bite for a while after I’ve started braking,” he says.
“So it’s this initial feeling of hitting the brakes really hard. My peak braking pressure is always much higher than Nico’s [Hülkenberg], and I think I just need to feel the brakes engaging immediately, and that’s really affected my confidence at the starts.”
“It throws you off balance when you’re already feeling uncomfortable with the brakes. So that was a big help. Knowing that every time you step on the brake, they engage in the same way is a big help for me.”
Is Haas safe sixth place with Magnussen?
Haas is currently ten points ahead of Racing Bulls in the battle for sixth place in the constructors’ championship. And although the lead over their rivals from Faenza seems quite large, Magnussen says that he cannot take anything for granted yet.
“We are happy to be ten points up, but I don’t think you can ever be complacent here,” he says. ‘It can turn very quickly. They just need a good race and they will be right back with us. We just have to keep our heads up.’